Neuer: “Ballon d’Or? Unlike Ronaldo, I don’t pose in underwear”

by Guilherme Neto

With the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2014 decision coming closer by the day, everyone seems to have their own personal opinion on the matter. The Bayern Munich and German goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, was one of the last persons sharing his take on what’s going to happen next January 12 and his statements were nothing less than a bit controversial.

In a clear allusion to Cristiano Ronaldo, the 28-year old goalkeeper stated that his chances of winning award aren’t as high as the top two contenders and pointed out the fact that he doesn’t pose for photo shoots in underwear as a possible reason for him to not be regarded as a favorite. The funnier here though, is that Neuer probably forgot that he was already involved in a few marketing campaigns where he was precisely photographed in his underwear…

Being a goalkeeper is often pointed out as an disadvantage for being able to win these type of awards like the FIFA Ballon d’Or. Neuer agrees with those voices and explains why…

Neuer: “After a match is over, what is usually highlighted are the goals, the scoring chances and the assists. The spectators usually undervalue a goalkeeper job on the pitch, which is preventing goals and in some cases being the player who initiates an attacking play for example. Morever, I believe that those who will vote will end up underestimating everything that was won by Bayern Munich last season”, revealed the former Schalke 04 goalie, as he recognized that he probably doesn’t stand many chances to win the FIFA Ballon d’Or when he’s running against the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.